On Baudrillard's Theory Of Symbolic Consumption

Jean Baudrillard, a French scholar, is a famous thinker who focuses on consumption culture and activities. The outstanding characteristic of his cultural theory is that he gets a close attention to relationship between culture and symbols, and rethinks several latest academic issues in the contemporary world. His theory represents the latest theoretical vision of contemporary cultural studies and research directions. This thesis analyzes his theory of consumption society and explains his theory of symbolic consumption systematically, so that it can be a worthy reference for our understanding and dealing with the practical problem.Standing with consumption of symbols and combining with the development of his theory, this thesis describes Saussure, Roland Barthes, and Henri Lefebvre and so on respectively influencing Jean Baudrillard greatly."Signifier"and"Signified", pointed out by Saussure, is the supporting point in his theory ,becoming Baudrillard theoretical support for the concept. Roland Barthes uses successfully the Constructivism Linguistics principles to social development, and re-posited the significance of fashion, clothing and so on, which gives the inspiration for Baudrillard research methodology, and those analysis became the basis contents in his consumption theory. The theory of Lefebvre, who is his supervisor, links to Baudrillard's theory. Their theory all start with consumption and stand on daily life. Baudrillard insists on a critical awareness of daily life in the exploration of"consumer society", the understanding and critical perceptions of consuming behavior, as for this, Baudrillard aims to the daily life consumption field in Capitalist Society.Baudrillard think that "In order to become object of consumption, the object must become sing". The key that object turns to symbol is that the symbol becomes the intermediary goods in interpersonal relationship. Symbol makes consumption a no consumer itself and it turns the interpersonal relationship to person-goods relationship, so there is a new relationship burned: consumer relationship. Furthermore, what Baudrillard's concern is the significance of the structure of consumption activities in the study of contemporary capitalist society? Baudrillard discusses how goods as symbols are consumed, and the characteristic of consumption society is consuming the symbol, which is the logic of consumer society distinction. Baudrillard special attends the symbols of nature, from the...